Jet City - A Soldano for the rest of us?

Not all of us can afford a SLO100, but there's hope: Jet City Amplification. Nothing posted yet as to MSRP or dealer locations, but you can get the skinny here and here.

There's a few YouTube videos, but they're frighteningly short. They are Soldano designed, though. They're HQ is on Novelty Hill Road in Redmond, Washington. I used to mountain bike in the watershed there. Not that that makes any difference...just sayin'. fftopic

-Sean

What about the Bugera amps, don't they get close to that Soldano tone for cheap?

Anyone looking to get budget Soldano tone should look into the Yamaha T50 and T100 series amps. These were designed by Soldano, built by Dennis Kager of Sundown amps, and sold by Yamaha. They had 2 or 4 6L6GC tubes depending on the wattage rating and 7 12AX7 preamp tubes.

I owned a T50 head, and it was a killer amp. Like Soldano amps, the clean was okay, not bad but not great. The OD could be maxed out for endless sustain at any volume level. Or with the gain backed off and the master up fairly loud, the amp was totally different: nice crunch. They had spring reverb and an FX loop. One cool feature was a post OT line out, which was a tap on the output transformer. This allowed a DI signal out which captured the tonal character of the amp. Most line out circuits are just preamp out, which do not have the character of the power amp.

Killer amp, wish I'd never let mine go

Actually that first link says $299 for the 20W! If it really can do a reasonable SLO imitation, that would be too awesome for words. Here's the direct link to the JCA-20H on the Jet City site. Oooh! There's a combo version too!

I like the looks:dude

I hope they post some better/longer clips on the YouTubes. The ones I've heard haven't been a whole lot to write home about.

Hmm, "designed in Seattle". I wonder where they're made?

markb said:

Hmm, "designed in Seattle". I wonder where they're made?

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At $299 for the head, methinks somewhere slightly west of Seattle.

marnold said:

At $299 for the head, methinks somewhere slightly west of Seattle.

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Yeah, Marnold, I think you're right about them being made WAY west of Seattle. I'm pretty sure they're made overseas. Designed in the US, yes, but I doubt they're made here. I wonder if the Chinese value "Made in China" stuff the way that we covet "Made in USA"?

I've asked Douglas White of Jet City to join our forum, so that we can ask questions directly. I'm sure he keeps fairly busy, but he did say he would be joining soon. I'm looking forward to hearing more about this line of amps. They look promising.

-S

FWIW, Sam Ash has the combo for $499. MSRP is $699.

My only concern with the 20W versions is that there aren't enough pre-amp stages to really pull off an SLO100 imitation. But, as they say, the proof is in the listening and I haven't heard a true high-gain clip of this amph in action yet.

Good afternoon, Gents!
Sean - thanks for inviting me to join here, I appreciate the opportunity to have a voice.
Probably a lot more needs to be said, but I have two quick things to throw out there real quick:
Yes, we make the amps in China, where I am right now (Sunday morning) supervising production. We have a great factory and I am very happy with how it's going here. I have personally brought several guitar and bass amps into production in Asian factories over the years and know how to do it right.
Regarding the JCA20H and comparisons to the SLO100 - I think there may be some misconceptions... Marnold has it right: there's no way a 20 watt amp is going to represent the tone of an SLO100. Of course there is A LOT more to it than I could write in one post, but let me just say, both our JCA20H and our JCA100H we personally designed by Mike Soldano, with his own hands and ears (various other body parts too). JCA20H sounds very "Soldano" and probably has more gain than most amps in it's class, but it isn't based on the SLO100 at all.
JCA100H has two channels, and the OVERDRIVE channel indeed has the now-famous-often-modelled-and-copied SOLDANO overdrive circuit which is also found in the SLO100. But! that doesn't make this amp an SLO100 either... there are many things which go into that amp which are beyond the scope of a single post.
But I can say with complete satisfaction that both amps (plus our combo and other stuff we are working on) sound VERY Soldano, because they ARE. And if you're looking for the signature SLO100 overdrive sound, the JCA100H delivers a pretty d@mn good version of it.
Please fire away any questions and be patient with me cos I'm a noob at forums and I'm also travelling a lot.
Best, D.

First of all, thanks for joining The Fret! It's always nice to be able to talk to manufacturers first-hand.

I guess I'll ask the obvious question. Besides the fact that the 20W head/combo have been designed by Mike Soldano, what sets it apart from the myriad of low-wattage tube amps on the market these days. If it were "it sounds like an SLO100," there would be your selling point, although you say that's not it at all. I'm not saying that there is no difference, there's just not a lot of info out there right now as to what those differences are.

I'd also like to hear a bit about the transformers you use in these, because that is often where low-price tube amps fall down.

I'd really like to hear a clip of one with the gain dimed using some humbucker-equipped guitar.

Hi again. What makes us unique?
There are a couple of tube heads for a bit less money than ours, but they're in the 5watt range and typically have only a single preamp tube and single power tube.
There are several heads at 15watts or 20watts, which are at least $50 more than us, but typically $200 or more higher than us.
So what out there offers 20 watts, 3 12ax7 and 2 EL 84 at only $299? As far as I know, no amp other than ours.
And although it isn't a "mini SLO", it IS a Soldano-sounding amp. Mike's designs are very direct and simple - JCA20H has no "pedals" in the preamp, no dsp, no 1/2 power switch (see PicoValve), etc etc - this is pure, distilled Soldano tube tone - and you'll know it when you hear it. Pretty much everyone who has heard it so far has uttered the f-word. (ha ha - cracked myself up, I need to remember that for some marketing texts).
Speaking of, yeah, I know our clips on YouTube are a bit anemic. That was the first time we ever recorded our stuff and we were a bit hasty. We'll get some better stuff done soon. But you also might check in on the Tone King's channel on YouTube - he has a JCA20H now and is ramping up to get some tones out there.
Transformers - VERY important! We started with a Soldano Atomic 16 and the goal of making a highly similar transformer to the American-made trannys in the Atomic. I personally worked with the transformer maker and through both critical listening and Audio-Precision measurements, revised the design probably 4 or 5 times. THEN Soldano himself compared it to his original tranny and even though he was happy with what I had done, made a couple more improvements and then signed off on the final version. So we spent some important time on the trans and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Hopefully, you will be too.
Oh, and I'm working on painting the covers blue cos that's my new favorite color.
D.

Here are some pix of them....

TheToneKing's preview (not a complete review) of the JCA20H 20 watt head. For better sound quality, go to YouTube and select the HD version.



I think I'd opt for the 20 watt combo to get the tube driven reverb.

Tig said:

TheToneKing's preview (not a complete review) of the JCA20H 20 watt head. For better sound quality, go to YouTube and select the HD version.

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Certainly a healthy amount of gain there, although I probably wouldn't have dimed the bass like he did. Different strokes.

Tig said:

I think I'd opt for the 20 watt combo to get the tube driven reverb.

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I saw that too, although it understandably adds to the price. Still, I can't think of too many small tube combos these days that even come with reverb, much less of the tube-driven variety. I'd really like to hear some pure clean and/or bluesy grit clips with the reverby goodness.

Regardless, I may have to start saving some shekels.

marnold said:

I'd really like to hear some pure clean and/or bluesy grit clips with the reverby goodness.

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Marnold, did you hear our clip on YouTube? The 2nd one has verb from the 2112RC. Search Jet City Amplification to find our channel.

D.

Jet City said:

Marnold, did you hear our clip on YouTube? The 2nd one has verb from the 2112RC. Search Jet City Amplification to find our channel.

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Yep, I had already watched it. I subscribed to your channel when this thread started using my YouTube username "revmra." I thought your previous description of your YouTube vid hit it on the head. ToneKing's preview did a good job of showing off the high-gain end, though.

I guess that does beg another question: given the extra expense and complexity, why did you decide to go with a tube-driven reverb instead of solid state?

Also since I'm asking questions, if a person would get one and it would need repair, is the warranty return-only or will a tech be provided with a schematic to be able to fix it? I think this would especially be helpful once the warranty is over. I ask this too because according to your website, the only dealer near me would be the GuitarCenter 50 miles away. I'm not sure I'd trust those guys to chew gum and walk at the same time, especially after how they tried to "set up" my Floyd Rose

By the by, I hope my questions aren't coming off as negative or snarky. They aren't intended to be. I ask because I'm interested. I have been looking at small tube amps like this. The name Soldano definitely gets the attention of us aging 80s headbangers. I know the guy with me in my avatar used to play a SLO, among others, in the 80s. As a matter of fact, I think he still does. I liked the looks/features of a Soldano 44, but 50W is overkill for me and it's out of my price range by a mile too.

Matt

Well, very interesting line here.
When I look at gear, I look for price point, quality, tonal possibilities and gain structure...and something a little different.
At first glance, these amps seem to have it all. I'll wait to hear some more demos and swing by GC whenever they get one to try it out.
In Tone King's "sneak peek", I'm starting to like the way it's being dialed in at 40), with gain at 9 o'clock.
For me, I would have no need to dime the thing.
I'd also like to know if it can do some blues/classic crunchy stuff by rolling back amp gain and/or guitar vol.
One (off topic) comment : I can't stand that fretboard on TK's guitar.

marnold said:

I guess that does beg another question: given the extra expense and complexity, why did you decide to go with a tube-driven reverb instead of solid state?

Also since I'm asking questions, if a person would get one and it would need repair, is the warranty return-only or will a tech be provided with a schematic to be able to fix it? I think this would especially be helpful once the warranty is over. I ask this too because according to your website, the only dealer near me would be the GuitarCenter 50 miles away. I'm not sure I'd trust those guys to chew gum and walk at the same time, especially after how they tried to "set up" my Floyd Rose

I liked the looks/features of a Soldano 44, but 50W is overkill for me and it's out of my price range by a mile too.

Matt

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Hi Matt - not at all Snarky - I'm enjoying the feedback! A few answers here:
Tube driven reverb (and effects loop on 100H and future product) were decisions the Soldano made. He and I have formed a great yin/yang (pun intended) of balancing what CAN we do and what can we fit into our price targets. Mike already had the design for the reverb circuit (Astroverb) ready to go so complexity wasn't a consideration, all I had to do was fit it into our cost. Street price of 2112 is $499. Maybe I could have squeezed him into $449 by cutting a few corners/features, but, when I look at what else is available out there $499 and the feature set seem a strong value. Quick side note - all our rectifiers are solid-state. That's a decision we made for sound, and reliability/tube life, not a cost consideration.

Service and distribution aren't my bailiwick directly, but, I can tell you this: we're just getting started on our dealer base, so if you check the website occassionally you will see it growing. And yes, we DO have service centers lined up and parts on the way to them so we will be field-serviceable. That being said, at $299 street for JCA20H you can imagine we are considering if that particular product should be a simple direct-replacement model. I don't know yet... while I don't manage service, I DO manage the $$, so...

Regarding 20 watt / 50 watts / head versus combos / channels, I do have some comments and also questions for YOU and anyone else who is interested in participating, but that's probably better offline stuff. Anyone who wants to get into influencing our product decisions (COOL stuff coming) please feel free to send me a private message here or at [email protected] - where I read and reply to EVERYTHING (at least for now!).

Thanks again for the opportunity here guys! D.

Radioboy950 said:

Well, very interesting line here.
When I look at gear, I look for price point, quality, tonal possibilities and gain structure...and something a little different.
At first glance, these amps seem to have it all. I'll wait to hear some more demos and swing by GC whenever they get one to try it out.
In Tone King's "sneak peek", I'm starting to like the way it's being dialed in at 40), with gain at 9 o'clock.
For me, I would have no need to dime the thing.
I'd also like to know if it can do some blues/classic crunchy stuff by rolling back amp gain and/or guitar vol.
One (off topic) comment : I can't stand that fretboard on TK's guitar.

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Hi Radio - thanks for the note, I just want to comment real quick. As a player, and in my musical listening taste, I'm a preamp-full-open-overdrive guy. But I have to say, spending so much time with a 20 watt amp, I am REALLY digging the tone with the master opened up and the gain dialed back (both for tone and volume sake, have yet to play our 20 watters with a drummer which I MUST do soon). I admit, I am not a great player, just a competetent 2nd guitarist with good tone, and to me, riding my ES335 volume control through our 2112 with the master open is just pure clean tone fun (oops talking like a marketing weasil).
AND - I like Louis's fretboard!

Jet City said:

Hi Radio - thanks for the note, I just want to comment real quick. As a player, and in my musical listening taste, I'm a preamp-full-open-overdrive guy. But I have to say, spending so much time with a 20 watt amp, I am REALLY digging the tone with the master opened up and the gain dialed back (both for tone and volume sake, have yet to play our 20 watters with a drummer which I MUST do soon). I admit, I am not a great player, just a competetent 2nd guitarist with good tone, and to me, riding my ES335 volume control through our 2112 with the master open is just pure clean tone fun (oops talking like a marketing weasil).
AND - I like Louis's fretboard!

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That's how I run my Astroverb. Crank the master and adjust my volume with the gain control. If your amp is a similar circuit to mine that will make for a great value. I love my Soldano even though it is the cheapest model available. My Boogie has been collecting dust ever since I picked this amp up. Good luck.

hubberjub said:

That's how I run my Astroverb. Crank the master and adjust my volume with the gain control. If your amp is a similar circuit to mine that will make for a great value. I love my Soldano even though it is the cheapest model available. My Boogie has been collecting dust ever since I picked this amp up. Good luck.

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I didn't know you had an Astroverb! I guess I'm going to have to start reading people's sigs more closely

I've got a simple question here.

Can I go to your Redmond HQ and try one out?

I live just up the road in Kirkland!

@ Hubba - yeah, and 20H and 2112 are both based upon the Astroverb circuit but are slightly different. 20H has more gain cos he's just a head without verb, so we could crank him up. 2112 we slightly backed off the gain cos the higher gain with reverb just isn't as desireable. Plus, the 2 extra tubes in the circiut for the reverb itself do change the signal path a little bit. Not sure I can hear it, but it is on the scope. And of course he has an open back.

@ NWBasser - actually, our office is now too small and not so "ready for prime time", but, you could meet me at Soldano's place if we make an appointment cos I don't go there every day. He's in Ballard.

Any plans for these to come over to the UK?

@nthony said:

Any plans for these to come over to the UK?

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Absolutely. My Partner in sales is working on that right now...

Jet City said:

Absolutely. My Partner in sales is working on that right now...

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Great news! Thank you!

Here Tone King's full review:


Sounds like his mic is clipping or something anyway, but you get the point.

He's supposed to have a live streaming thing tonight and talk about these amphs at midnight Eastern (GMT-5).